Subject: [ietf-dkim] dots in selectors

From: Eric Allman <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 16:01:12 -0700

In an attempt to clarify selectors and their interaction with DNS, 
I've made the following changes to the draft:

Section 3.1, paragraph 3 now reads:

        Periods are allowed in selectors and are component
        separators. If keys are stored in DNS, the period defines DNS
        label boundaries in a manner similar to the conventional use
        in domain names. Selector components might be used to combine
        dates with locations; for example, "march2005.reykjavik". In
        a DNS implementation, this can be used to allow delegation of
        a portion of the selector name-space.

The ABNF following that paragraph also says:

        selector =   sub-domain *( "." sub-domain )

(this is unchanged).  The sub-domain non-terminal is defined in RFC 
2821:

      sub-domain = Let-dig [Ldh-str]
      Let-dig = ALPHA / DIGIT
      Ldh-str = *( ALPHA / DIGIT / "-" ) Let-dig

I hope this makes it clear that dots are not permitted as part of a 
DNS label that is representing a component of a selector.  If not, 
please suggest improved language.

eric

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From: Mark Delany <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 23:35:44 +0000

>        separators. If keys are stored in DNS, the period defines DNS
                     When keys are retreived from the DNS, periods in
	 selectors define DNS label boundaries. Selector components
	 might be used to combine...

Editorial nit. Since the term "selector" has special meaning in
the DKIM context, should it be capitalized as a noun?

Mark.

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From: Eric Allman <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 16:49:12 -0700

Thanks Mark.  I made the change as you suggest, but left the "... in 
a manner similar to the conventional use in domain names" part, since 
that seems to me to impart an intuitive sense of what is going on. 
Others may disagree....

Good thought about capitalization.  I've made that change.

eric

--On July 7, 2006 11:35:44 PM +0000 Mark Delany 
<[email-masked]> wrote:

>                      When keys are retreived from the DNS, periods
> in 	 selectors define DNS label boundaries. Selector components

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From: Douglas Otis <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 17:04:35 -0700

On Jul 7, 2006, at 4:49 PM, Eric Allman wrote:

> Thanks Mark.  I made the change as you suggest, but left the "...  
> in a manner similar to the conventional use in domain names" part,  
> since that seems to me to impart an intuitive sense of what is  
> going on. Others may disagree....
>
> --On July 7, 2006 11:35:44 PM +0000 Mark Delany <MarkD+dkim@yahoo- 
> inc.com> wrote:
>

This looks good.  It gets confusing when the term selector is used  
interchangeably with tag on the reflector.  Making selector  
capitalized could help.

-Doug

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From: Tony Hansen <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2006 23:35:50 -0400

+1 *3

	Tony Hansen
	[email-masked]

Eric Allman wrote:
> Thanks Mark.  I made the change as you suggest, but left the "... in a
> manner similar to the conventional use in domain names" part, since that
> seems to me to impart an intuitive sense of what is going on. Others may
> disagree....
>